How Do I Become a Travel Director?

A travel director is responsible for overseeing the travel arrangements of people employed by a particular firm or for handling travel related issues for the clients of a tour company. Someone wishing to become a travel director should typically complete an undergraduate degree program. Additionally, many firms prefer to hire travel directors who have traveled extensively since these individuals are familiar with the kinds of challenges and difficulties that their clients may face.

Some universities offer degree programs in travel and tourism and someone wishing to become a travel director may choose to complete such a course. In other instances, firms employ individuals who have completed degree programs in business administration or management since much of a director’s work involves negotiating contracts. Furthermore, many travel directors oversee a team of travel administrators in which case prior supervisory experience may be listed among the job prerequisites. Some firms prefer to hire directors who have travel industry work experience. Therefore, someone who wants to be a travel director may have to gain some prior experience working as a travel agent or resort customer service representative.

Many large corporations employ in-house travel directors and these individuals are ultimately responsible for managing the work related travel activities of the firm's employees. The director must attempt to negotiate discounted rates with hotels, airlines and tour companies. In most instances, the director is responsible for ensuring that the firm's overall travel costs stay within the annual budget. Therefore, someone who wants to become a travel director may have to gain some experience managing staff budgets as a departmental manager within another area of the company.

Tourist resorts and tourism firms often employ travel directors responsible for handling the day-to-day operations at a particular hotel or resort. This individual must ensure that sales staff hit revenue goals by maximizing cross-sell opportunities. The director must also arrange transportation deals with taxi firms, coach operators and other firms to ferry guests to and from the resort. Customer complaints and minor service issues are normally dealt with by junior employees, but serious problems are often referred to the travel director. Therefore, someone wishing to become a travel director ideally has good customer service skills and many people employed in these roles are those with prior experience as managers in the hospitality or entertainment arenas.

Like many individuals employed in the travel industry, a director may have to liaise with foreign clients and business partners. Consequently, someone employed in this role may have to have second language skills. Some firms prefer to hire individuals who have completed language degrees while other companies employ directors who have completed short-term language classes.